The truth behind the doll
Barbie is tall, slim, and has sparkling blue eyes and blond long hair. She has the most fashionable designer clothes that every girl dreams of having in their closet. She is the doll of every girl´s dream.
Being an American copy of a German doll called Lilly, Barbie is originally introduced in America in 1959 by Mattel. In the early 60’s , the blonde doll had a slow start in sales due to rumours of being a bad copy of a cabaret doll accessory for men. However, her popularity began growing more and more until it became the best-selling doll in the United States. The denial of the rumours trying to defame Barbie helped a lot to improve the image of the doll. This is how Barbie is an industry of $ 6 million per year today.
It is not new that Barbie is beloved by young girls. Despite the big demand this doll produces, some parents yet refuse to buy this toy to their children. Surfing the web to do some background research, I found a web site called “The Anti-Barbie Group”. It is a group made up of parents who are against the blonde stereotyped doll, as well as the negative influence that she produces on young girls. After reading some of their articles I have to agree with them and say that I consider an Anti-Barbie person myself.
The very first thing I think of when looking at a Barbie doll is her one missing accessory: food. This is a very important thing to have in mind because if children tend to imitate adults, and don’t forget that Barbie is the figure of a woman, they will desire to become as skinnier as their doll: The skinnier they look the prettier. Besides, the first dolls introduced in the American market had a small book with different diets that weren’t appropriate for young girls. These diets tought girls which food they have to eat and which they don´t. In addition, the authors of this little book also included the number of calories each food contains, as well as a maximum of calories girlies should ingest per day if they want to have their doll’s body. So, if girls put into practise this drastic change in diet, they would get accustomed to such way of eating at an early age. This internalization would lead girls to their own one missing accesory and would promote an early approach to food disorders that would probably lead to the emergence of a premature bulimia or anorexia.
Another thing to have in mind is the unrealistic body proportions this blondie doll has. We as adults know that Barbie’s body proportions are not real. According to doctors’ declarations on “The Medical Daily” “if Barbie were a real woman, her measurements would force her to walk on all fours and she would be physically incapable of lifting her over-sized Mattel head(punctuation). She could be nicknamed the “impossible woman” with her unrealistic physical proportions that would make her look like she’s straight off a spaceship. She would stand 1,82 meters tall, weigh 45 kilograms, and have a 99,06 centimetres bust, a 48,26 centimetres waist, and the hips of a prepubescent boy.” Trying to imitate the figure of this doll, girls get their self-esteem lowered since such perfect super thin waist is impossible to get naturally, mostly for an adult. Only surgery is needed in that case.
    We cannot help paying attention to the superficial world girls are exposed to. Barbie’s subliminal message to young girls is that the only thing that matters is taking care of material and superficial things. Of course that living in a beautiful big mansion, having the last Volkswagen’s car and caring about how you look like is the most important thing isn’t it? Well, let me tell you that this kind of glamorous life happens only if you are a super mega millionaire person, or in movies.
All in all, Barbie’s hidden message transmits to young girls a negative motivation on their lives. So, without realizing, young children are seriously influenced by this "cute" doll prioritizing superficial and material stuffs, such as appearance, clothing, etc, whereas the most important things such as letting these girls be, act, play and live as girls are left behind.